The Grace of the Valar
by singingswede
Summary: What if Aragorn hadn't miraculously recovered on the way to Helm's Deep? What if Arwen had only been able to heal him enough to get on the horse and ride back? Read on to find out.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me, although I wish they did. They all belong to J.R.R. Tolkien, one of the greatest literary geniuses of our time. Legolas may belong to my friend Erin though, as she has a life-size cut out of him and knows just about all there is to know about him. (jk – he really does belong to Tolkien, not Erin!)  
  
Summary: What if Aragorn hadn't miraculously recovered on his journey to Helm's Deep after falling off the cliff in The Two Towers (movie)? What if Arwen had only been able to heal him enough to get on the horse and be carried back?  
  
Without further ado....  
  
The Grace of the Valar Chapter 1  
  
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"May the grace of the Valar protect you." Her words reverberated in his ears as he slowly returned to consciousness. He felt his horse nudge him and kneel to allow him to mount. He slowly rolled himself onto Brego's back and slumped over, exhausted by the effort he had put forth. His horse galloped away in the direction of Helm's Deep, the fortress of Rohan.  
  
Brego rode for two days without rest. Aragorn slipped in and out of consciousness the whole time. When they got to the end of one clearing, the horse stopped. Aragorn opened his eyes and looked out, surprised at the abrupt stop. He stared in awe at the sight before him. There were uruk-hai. Thousands and thousands of them. And they were all headed towards Helm's Deep.  
"Noro lim!" he cried to Brego before passing out again. The beast went into a full gallop towards the rocky fortress, knowing that his master's life depended upon him.  
  
The next time Aragorn awoke, he knew he was getting worse. He was sweating hard, even though he was high in the mountains, and freezing wind was whipping around hi. He knew that a fever was raging and his many wounds were sure to be infected, since he hadn't been able to clean them properly. Blood still flowed steadily from his shoulder and he ached all over. He knew that the next time he lost consciousness, he would probably never wake again. He had resigned himself to the fact that he was going to die already. The only thing keeping him awake was the thought that he needed to get to Helm's Deep. He could see it ahead, looming ever nearer. His head pounded and he longed to sleep, but he needed to warn them.  
Finally, after what seemed like many days, although it was truly only a few hours, Aragorn arrived at the fortress gates.  
"Open the gates!" came a cry from inside the walls as he approached. Legolas, Gimli, Theoden, and Eowyn ran forward in disbelief at their friend's return.  
"Get him off the horse!" cried Legolas after a moment of shock. "He's badly injured!"  
  
Together with the help of Eowyn and Theoden, the elf carefully lifted Aragorn off his mount and cradled him gently in his arms.  
"Uruk-hai," groaned the Ranger softly. "At least ten thousand. Coming this way. Prepare...for...battle...tonight..."  
Legolas felt the man go limp in his arms.  
"Aragorn?" he said tentatively, listening for the man's breath. None came. "Aragorn! Someone get the healers!"  
A young boy took off down the hall at top speed as Legolas began to attempt to revive his friend. 


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks so much for the reviews! I am overwhelmed! I never thought I would get such a response in so little time!  
  
Dreamchaser01 – Yay! I'm so excited you love it! Yippee! I'm going to run around the house in joy now!  
  
ElvenRanger13 – Here's your update!  
  
Jadesaber – this is most definitely friendship. I can't stand slash! Legolas and Aragorn are too hot to be gay! I know a lot of gay guys are hot, but I can't have romantic fantasies with gay guys!  
  
Me, myself, and i – I know that the warg scene didn't happen in the book. I was a bit confused myself when I saw the movie. Maybe I should have specified that this is movie-based. Some things in the movie really angered me. Such as when Haldir died. I was sobbing. That didn't happen in the books! But I love Aragorn pain, so this one was fine with me!  
  
Star-Stallion – Don't worry, I would never kill my favorite Ranger! I'll only make him go through considerable agony. I hate it when people kill my favorite characters off!  
  
Grumpy – I'm glad that you like it!  
  
Patty – I am evil, am I not? Anyways, hope this is soon enough for you!  
  
Shadowed Flames – Thanks! I hope you like the rest as well.  
  
Nayru – I'm glad someone else shares my views! I always thought it was absurd that riding would make someone heal. That was always weird to me. I hope you like my take on it.  
  
Without further ado....  
  
The Grace of the Valar Chapter 2  
  
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Eowyn stared in horror at the scene before her. Only minutes ago, she had believed Aragorn dead. Now it seemed as if he had been resurrected only to die again. He had stopped breathing about a minute ago, and now Legolas was trying frantically to revive him. The elf opened the man's mouth and breathed air into his lungs. Then he pushed on Aragorn's chest, trying to restore a heartbeat. Then he repeated the cycle over again. This went on for several minutes to no avail. Legolas was about to give up when suddenly the man drew a quick, sharp gasp.  
"That's it!" cried Legolas. "Breathe, Aragorn, just breathe."  
Aragorn lay there on the ground, taking shallow gasps of air into his lungs. He was still unconscious and Legolas was worried that his reflexes would stop working again. Suddenly, a healer rushed into the room following the boy who had left. The man hurried to Aragorn's side to examine him. When he was finished, the healer looked up with a grave look on his face.  
"I do not think he will last the night," he told the others. "His wounds are too serious. It is a miracle he has survived so long with them. They are deep and have become infected. Riding all the way her has certainly done him no good as well. I will try my best, but there isn't much I can do for him. I am sorry."  
"No!" cried Legolas. "He will fight this! Aragorn is no ordinary man. The blood of Numenor flows through his veins. He is too strong to be defeated by something like this!"  
"Legolas," comforted Theoden, "I know it is hard to accept, but right now we need to worry about what he said. We are being attacked tonight. We must prepare for battle. I will have my best healers care for Aragorn and they will come to us if anything changes, but we must fight! The whole of Middle-earth depends on us tonight."  
Legolas sighed in resignation. He desperately wanted to stay with his friend, but he knew that the King was right. Aragorn was a very important asset to the army. Without him, they would need to work doubly hard in order to defeat the uruk-hai the man had said were going to attack.  
"Just let me see him settled," he said. "I will come to battle as soon as I know that he is being cared for."  
"I will help," said Eowyn. "There is nothing else for me to do. I will do all I can to assist the healers. They must work fast, for soon there will be many more wounded to care for."  
"You may go," agreed Theoden. "Go and provide what assistance you can."  
"I'll be staying with the laddie, too," declare Gimli. "I've got to be there to yell at him if he wakes." The dwarf made it clear that this was a statement, not a request.  
The three friends and the healer gingerly gathered Aragorn in their arms and began to walk in the direction of the healing quarters of Helm's Deep.  
  
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When they arrived at their destination, the four people laid their priceless burden gently down on a bed. The healer set to work gathering various herbs and bandages from cabinets around the room. Legolas, Eowyn, and Gimli pulled up chairs and sat at Aragorn's bedside.  
"You must fight this, mellon nin," said Legolas. "You must not surrender to these wounds. We all need you here with us."  
The man gave no sign that he had heard the words. His eyes remained closed and his breathing labored. He looked like death itself, with his pale and sunken face. His past few days had been anything but restful.  
"Please," pleaded Eowyn, "open your eyes. Just wake for a moment to tell us that you'll be alright. I couldn't bear to lose you again!"  
Aragorn didn't respond in the slightest. He seemed to get worse by the minute. The healer returned with a contingent of his brethren and got to work healing the worst of the Ranger's wounds. His three friends watched from the side as they labored for what seemed like ages. Suddenly, a horn sounded.  
"That is no orc horn!" cried Legolas. He and Gimli ran down to meet the arriving elves, led by Haldir, leaving Eowyn to watch over their friend.  
About five minutes after the departure of the two warriors, the healers stepped aside, leaving only one in the room to care for Aragorn. They had done what they could. Soon they would have much more work on their hands. Sounds of battle raged outside the walls of the healing rooms. Eowyn sat by the bedside, stroking Aragorn's head absentmindedly.  
"Do not fear," she said softly enough so that the healer wouldn't hear her. "I will protect you with my life."  
My love, she added in her mind.  
  
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Review please!!!! The more you review, the more motivated I'll be to write more! (hint, hint!) 


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